MS · Healthcare shortage profile
Benton County, MS
Peak severity leads this reading: Benton County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,646.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 7,646
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 23.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Benton County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Benton County, MS on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
-
Peak HPSA score 21.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
-
Closing Benton County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 primary care, 8.5 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Benton County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Benton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Benton County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
3 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Benton County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Benton County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 82. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 28009. Population: 7,646.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Benton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| North MS Primary Health Care Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| North MS Primary Health Care Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| North MS Primary Health Care Inc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Benton County | dental | 18.0 |
| LI-Benton County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 3 | mental_health | 16.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Benton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Benton County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Benton County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 23.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Benton County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Benton County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 82. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Benton County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Benton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Benton County's active designations: about 12 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Benton County, MS · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on Benton County's designations
Benton County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Benton County's 6 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of MS before you draw conclusions from a single score. MS overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Benton County's 21.0. Open Cass County, ND or Dallas County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Benton County's primary score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC”).
Cass County, ND
21.0 primary score · 184,525 pop.
Dallas County, TX
21.0 primary score · 2,613,539 pop.
Montgomery County, MD
21.0 primary score · 1,062,061 pop.
Davidson County, TN
21.0 primary score · 715,884 pop.
Naugatuck Valley County, CT
21.0 primary score · 451,887 pop.
Greene County, MO
21.0 primary score · 298,915 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Benton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Benton County carries an MUA designation (index 23.5; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Benton County's peak score of 21.0?
- "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC" leads the active set (score 21.0; primary care; 65,412 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Benton County's severity reading?
- After "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC", the next active names on this release are "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC", "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC", "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC" and "Benton County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Benton County's high-severity geography?
- Benton County's 6 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "NORTH MS PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 28009. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 28009 (Benton County, MS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.